Different Kind Of In-Home Health Care Services For The Elderly
The term 'elderly' is used for a person 65 years or older. The elderly population group approaches the aging process at a rapid level. However, aging is a gradual, continuous, and inevitable process; as we age, our body encounters physiological changes due to aging in all body organs, like loss of skin, vision impairment, atrophy of the muscle, etc. Other physiological changes include decreased cardiac output, increased blood pressure, decalcification of the bone, arthritis, etc. As a result, older people are more vulnerable to physiological, psychological, and cognitive issues. Therefore they need extra assistance and care to fight the challenges that come with this age. In addition, with increasing work pressure and scarcity of time, it becomes difficult for adults to take care of their aging parents. Lack of time leads to the demand for in-home health care services. In-home health care services make an adult tension free about their elderly parent's health and make life easier for the elderly.
Types Of In-Home Health Care Services For The Elderly
Depending on the individual's requirement, a wide array of in-home health care services is now available. Some of these services are provided below:
Doctor-Care Services:
For elderly patients, traveling to a doctor's clinic is difficult if they encounter health issues or want to be regularly examined. In that case, they either need someone's assistance or enjoy an in-home visit with a doctor. In addition, doctor-care services are available where a doctor will visit and examine them.
Nursing-Care Services:
Nursing care is the most common healthcare service. According to the patient's needs, a certified nurse will be provided after the doctor's recommendation to look after the patient. Nursing care involves dressing the wound, and injectables, administering the medication, monitoring patient health, conducting physical examinations, maintaining the medical record, providing bedside care, etc.
Holistic-Care Services:
Holistic-care services are a broader spectrum that covers everything from nursing to assisting. From providing assistance in bathing, walking, and exercising to nursing the patients when required and giving them medication on time. However, holistic-care services are not limited upto this; it goes further to cooking for the patients and assisting them in recreational activities.
Nutritional Support:
With aging, food choices change to adjust to the weaker digestive system. As a result, it takes more time to digest the meal. It also becomes difficult to chew solid food. And if an older adult has a chronic illness, nutrition plays an important role. So the dietitian's role here becomes essential. In an in-home health care service, a dietitian will visit the patient to guide them with the dietary assessment and plans.
Speech-Therapist And Physiotherapist Services:
A speech therapist helps the elderly with speech assistance after an illness, injury, or trauma. An in-home speech therapist will regularly visit the patients and help them to regain their communication ability. In comparison, a physiotherapist will help to restore the movement of the joints and healing of the muscle in case of injury or illness.
Pathology And Pharmaceutical Services:
An in-home pathology and pharmaceutical services are a boon for the elderly. They don't have to step out to get themselves tested to confirm an illness or disease. Instead, in-house pathology services visit you at home and take blood or urine samples required for the test. They also mail you the test report within the stipulated time, so you don't have to visit their center and collect it. Likewise, in-home pharmaceutical services deliver medicines for the elderly on time.
Transportation:
An elderly person cannot drive or take a bus to the hospital for treatment or physical examination. So keeping this issue in mind, some companies provide transportation services to the elderly who require a to-and-fro commute to visit the doctor.
Home Delivery Of Meals:
It is often difficult for an older person to cook meals for himself. And if he is sick, this is a more arduous task. In this situation, home delivery of meal services comes as a savior. They deliver the meal according to the requirement at your doorstep.
Conclusion:
As people grow old, their body undergoes physiological changes like muscle atrophy, vision impairment, bone density decrease, etc. This aging population of 65 years is referred to by the term "elderly." Growing old comes with many challenges and difficulties, depending on person to person. Old age demands extra care and love to sustain the aging complications. Sometimes due to increased work pressure or any other reason, the adult population finds it difficult to look after their parents and address the problems arising due to age-related issues. In that case, choosing an in-home health care service is the best option. A no. of healthcare services are available as per the need of the elderly. These services make the life of the elderly easy and comfortable.
Reference:
Hopkinsmedicine. (, ). Types of Home Health Care Services. [Weblog]. Retrieved 2 November 2022, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/caregiving/types-of-home-health-care-services
